The desire for a day trip hit me on Saturday afternoon, so after considering a few options, it was a good time to go to El Malpais, the lava field “badlands” west of Grants, New Mexico.

The big caveat for me was going to be there, but being there at some nice vantage point early in the day to take advantage of the new day light. I didn’t know where I would end up, so I just went, hoping to find a scenic viewpoint once I arrived.

I woke up at 4:20 this morning, and was on the road by 4:45. By the time I was outside of Grants, it was nearing 5:45, and once I was in the park area, the sun was peeking over the horizon.

I did find a good vantage point, and after morning photos there, I drove on into the park and stopped at some other points. I’ll write the day trip up in the next day or two.

I did come home with over 500 photos, though, and a need for some sleep.

Here are two of the photos, and I guess I need to get to bed.